Tue-07.07.2009 @ 17:27pm

new moniker

I changed my nick. "Kyokiru" rerouts to Wynden now. Am Schwert - "on the sword", attacks made while maintaining constant pressure on the opposing blade, also known as the Winden which means winding or turning. wynd (noun) \ˈwīnd\ Etymology: Middle English (Scots) wynde, probably from wynden: to wind, proceed, go From Old English windan: to twist — more at wind Date: 15th century Wind 1 a movement of air 2 a destructive force or influence 3 something that is insubstantial

(3 went over the waterfall | weigh anchor)

Mon-06.29.2009 @ 19:00pm

To be sure, Harvard graduates are bright. They were bright when they got accepted. Last year, Harvard's undergraduate school accepted a record-low 7.9% of the record-high number of students who applied. Of these, 97% will earn degrees, and most will rightly go on to win plum jobs and coveted spots in graduate schools. But universities are meant to teach, just as hospitals are meant to heal. A hospital that turned away the sickest 92% of patients would have little cause to celebrate the recovery of the rest. Harvard, though, is called America's finest college by US News & World Report. -Jack Hough, NYT

(weigh anchor)

Tue-06.23.2009 @ 10:47am

grandma frances

Awakened with a phone call today. My other grandma's hip has broken. This grandma is a vibrant character and has always been the lynchpin of the extensive family. Seriously, g&g's house has been grand central station for consecutive generations. Children through great grandchildren revolve around that place largely because grandma is so eager to talk, listen and treat. I can't imagine that family existing without her. And in spite of her age and arthritis, no one expected her to be nearest the Exit. Broken hips are treated as a death knell, but I hope that she surprises everyone for spite. The women are supposed to know how to jump the scythe.

(3 went over the waterfall | weigh anchor)

Sat-06.20.2009 @ 14:06pm

on public responsibility

"Maybe we're all to blame. And no one's to blame. You can't crazy proof the world. And you can't restrain public discourse only to levels that won't provoke the craziest among us. The truth is, anybody out there giving their opinion wants to be heard and wants to have some impact. Just not that kind of impact." - Jon Stewart

(weigh anchor)

Fri-06.12.2009 @ 17:33pm

i broke ur page

( Read more... )

(1 went over the waterfall | weigh anchor)

Fri-05.29.2009 @ 14:25pm

FUCKING FANTASTIC NEWZ

GRANDDAD IS GOING BACK TO CAMP NELSON. THE CABIN IS COMING OFF THE MARKET. OMGz I'M SO FUCKING HAPPY.

(13 went over the waterfall | weigh anchor)

Sun-05.10.2009 @ 03:08am

My brother got back on Friday. I had a margarita tonight. I hope my liver can take it. Fortunately I have a spare on hand again.

(9 went over the waterfall | weigh anchor)

Wed-04.01.2009 @ 11:32am

Well now I know how nzmongoose was replaced. With this new google technology, it won't be long for the rest of us. I expect the aforementioned teacher already followed suit, but someone messed with her calibrations.

(5 went over the waterfall | weigh anchor)

Sat-03.21.2009 @ 17:52pm

Knowing, a reaction

Hollywood must take offense at their categorization as a heathen mecca. For such a morally-destitute "liberal" stronghold, they sure love to get preachy. What really rankles me is the stereotype of the atheist as a sad, saaaaaad individual who has come to their way of thinking in response to some horrible tragedy that robbed them of all hope in a preordained Order to all things. I didn't come from a broken or miserable homelife. I didn't experience any great tragedy. And the fact that I don't necessarily subscribe to the belief that this is all preordained and purposeful, doesn't make me feel horribly horribly sad. Even when people I love die. Most atheists I know don't believe that the absence of a divine creator or a prearranged fate means that there is no point or purpose in anything. Most simply believe that it means we have to decide for ourselves what has purpose for us. Even if we're here by accident, it doesn't mean we can't find something meaningful in it. It sure as hell doesn't lessen our feelings or dull the experience. And even if we aren't all returning to some Celestial bosom in the sky or the Devil's crockpot, it doesn't mean that death is all meaninglessness and misery either. I, for one, am only a wannabe atheist since I don't believe anything with absolute certainty. I suspect, though, that my grandma's ghost isn't smiling down at me. But even if her spirit doesn't linger, I knew she was here. She existed. And it was a good life. Even aunt Donna's life, which was not half as good as it should have been, was better for having been. Particularly for the rest of us. There's a lot more meaning to the saying "alive in all of us" than "alive in spirit", because the first one is discernably true. And we are comforted, not tormented, by that. I like to entertain the idea that there will be a reunion of some form, because it's not within human capability to say goodbye forever. To even comprehend forever. But I know that while I'm alive, they're alive. And when I'm gone, then I'm not going to be suffering the separation. And I'll be with them, regardless of whether or not that's anywhere to "be".

(7 went over the waterfall | weigh anchor)

Sun-02.22.2009 @ 12:15pm

5 words from bart

Association Meme: Comment to this post and I will give you 5 subjects/things I associate you with. Then post this in your LJ and elaborate on the subjects given. Chibi I'm compact. Sometimes I stand on my tipytoes to rest my arms comfortably on store counters or reach stuff on the top shelf. I have the ability to sit comfortably with my butt an inch from the ground and my feet flat on the floor, which some big people find cumbersome. I'm also adept at climbing, pouncing, and can put my hand through narrow bars to reach things I'm not supposed to. I could ride you piggyback, and you never know when I might show up in your pocket. Internet + interpersonal commitment = possible after all Bart was a relative newcomer to online interactions when we met on the Arcana forum. I was a seven year veteran. Neither of us believed that long-term relationships were forged between anonymous personas online. Wtf happened? Lighthouse I recently told Bart the story of how when I was at the depth of depression I lost my feeling for things, and consequently felt like I lost all identity. Who are we without our passions? 8/8/2008 3:17:12 PM Jibaku I basically named something that I had no feeling for but felt that I *could* like. And with time it became true. 8/8/2008 3:17:30 PM Bart what was it then? 8/8/2008 3:18:09 PM Jibaku lighthouses. That's when I really developed this nautical obsession. It started with me just trying to rebuild an identity from nothing. Unadult synonymn: Anti-adult a human organism whose existence has exceeded the number of years in human society deemed suitable to remain silly, yet persists in silly behavior. See also: immature Eloquence iye kin yooze wurdz prity wel tu mayk u no wut i meen.

(3 went over the waterfall | weigh anchor)

Mon-02.16.2009 @ 00:13am

おたんじょうび　おめでとう

It's a Fairy Slipper. A Purple Fairy Slipper. Named after you of course. ♥

(7 went over the waterfall | weigh anchor)

Mon-02.02.2009 @ 20:21pm

railway deprivation

The Great Tragedy of my childhood was this. It was tradition for the first grade field trip to be a train ride. On a real train. The ferocity of my anticipation was hitherto unknown to my six year old heart, and perhaps unsurpassed since. My soul shivered in uncontainable seizures of excitement, and every day closer seemed to send it farther away. The night before, I sat up in bed and spilled my guts in an interrogation presumably instigated by the mattress. Sadly this expanded into not a bout of childish nerves but the 24 hour flu. I missed the train. I've wanted to take my mum on the Wine Train since I first discovered it while driving through Napa a couple years ago. So since mum was struggling to produce a wishlist for her birthday, I made a proposal to dad and we turned it into a joint surprise. This had the added bonus of alleviating some of of the financial burden from me and assuaging some of my restlessness too. At least for a few days. The surprise was a success. Mum was baffled for the entire hour+ arrival process as to why we had callously forced her out of bed early on a day she was supposed to be calling the shots. Better yet, when promotional signs for the event started turning up on our route, she suddenly remembered that she wanted to do that, but still didn't dream we were doing it. It took a couple glasses of wine and a boarding pass to coax her out of denial. Of course, I'd actually like to do the Murder Mystery or the Moonlight Escape, but the "low budget" luncheon was still a treat. And I discovered a German Riesling that I like, but it'll take another train ride for me to remember the actual name. My birthday was less adventurous but not without benefit. I played outside, snubbing twentynine to turn twelve again. I discovered that a camper shell would make an ideal roof for a fort (working windows and a panoramic view!). And to my xmas booty of lighthouse tapestry, pirate book and companion cubes, I added my first digital camera. - That isn't a phone. I also had cupcakes, which were consequently well documented. ( And now some very entertaining videos that dutifully entertained me. ) We're All a Bunch of Monkeys Ditto. Now I need to decide whether to buy a rice cooker and silverware, a bunch of cheap movies or an exercise bar with the Amazon munnies from my relatives.

(6 went over the waterfall | weigh anchor)

Sat-01.31.2009 @ 10:55am

free giveaway! all sales final.

As the saying goes: The first seven (7) people to respond to this post will get something made by me. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations: - I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. - What I create will be just for you. - It'll be done this year (2009). - No requests-- it could be anything. It may be a mix CD. It may be a poem. I may draw or paint something. I might bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? - I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. The catch is that if you don't re-post this offer, the bargain is void! Comments are screened so please leave your address k thnx. ...Not that I make any promises.

(weigh anchor)

Tue-01.27.2009 @ 22:25pm

critical error

Well now we know why my Critical Thinking instructor has not responded to a single one of my posts since the class began. Our first assignment was to discuss a case in the past when we had reversed an opinion based on the application of critical thinking, and I chose my conversion from christian to agnostic. :p My Debate instructor (also a critical thinking class) rewarded us for being gutsy enough to address such meaningful topics, but instructors like this one are the reason most are afraid to. -- 1:20 on 26 January 2009 Sender: Leigh, Jordan Subject: ot: textbook conundrum There is a paragraph in the textbook that I can not make heads or tales of: "People disagree vehemently over whether God exists. But whether he exists is not simply a matter of opinion. Thus, deep disagreement about an issue does not show that there is no objective truth about that issue." I have run it by several friends from varying religious backgrounds and we are in agreement that the statement is not conclusive. Regardless of your spiritual persuasion, the conclusion does not satisfy the premise. Even worshipers recognize that God is not a universally observable phenomenon. Whether or not God exists IS a matter of opinion - because it is a matter of faith; belief in that which can not be proven. objective (adjective) a) undistorted by emotion or personal bias; based on observable phenomena President Obama, who is christian, once delivered a powerful speech in which he illustrated this conflict: "It's fair to say that if any of us leaving this church saw Abraham on the roof of a building raising his knife [to kill Isaac] we would, at the very least, call the police and expect the department of children and family services to take Isaac away from Abraham. We would do so because we don't see and hear what Abraham sees and hears, true though those experiences may be. The best we can do is act in accordance with things we all see and hear..." (transcript available) The excerpt quoted at the start seems deficient in the application of critical thinking, and I remain befuddled about the line of reasoning and intended verdict. Whether or not objective truths exist remains ambiguous and debatable. 13:09 on 26 January 2009 Sender: Instructor Subject: Re: textbook conundrum Sorry, but I'll have to reinforce the text on this one. You state that whether truth exists is a matter of opinion. I'm going to suggest that, although we may have widely varying opinions about many objective realities, they exist independently of whether we like them, disagree with them, understand them, see them, abhor them or even recognize they are an issue. There are people who claim that the Holocaust never happened during the Nazi regime. Since they are absolutely convinced of this, does that mean that obojectively, it never occurred? Opinion and faith reside in very different realms. (You might do some research on what credible leaders in "faith" communities consider faith to be, and also on how "opinion" is defined.)Ultimately, we will all one day discover whether God exists. Either we will die and go to our eternal reward or punishment, as the case may be; or, we will die and there will be nothing at all; all "existence" will end with our own consciousness. One of those will turn out to be the case. Does that mean that our opinion about which is more likely, affects the outcome we will find? If we hold the view that there is no such thing as objective truth, then really there is not much point to a course in critical thinking -- since any argument is ultimately as good as any other. But if we are going to think critically, we will need to start from the premise that there is such a thing as "truth" or "reality" -- regardless of how difficult it may be to discern -- and that somehow the application of reason and dialogue will help to shed light on various aspects of this reality that we may not have seen before. Personally, I find it's helpful to start from the premise that there are things I don't know, the knowing of which could bring about a real transformation in my life. At least that helps me keep an open mind, and keep searching.

(11 went over the waterfall | weigh anchor)

Tue-01.20.2009 @ 16:33pm

obama inaguration

mood: hopeful Favorite parts, I think. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions--that time has surely passed. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works... ...and do our business in the light of day--because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government. As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. ...our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus--and non-believers. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West--know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist. To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it. ...a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath. I particularly like the part in bold, not only for what it says directly, but for the indirect reminder that people are not their governments. I don't know if he can deliver on these ideas any better than past men have, but I do think they are the right ideals on which to build. -- Edit: I'm relieved that tDS took exception to the same portion of the speech that I did. Challenging the enemy ("..you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you..") strikes me as childish and unwise. I realize it was likely designed to quell the fears of those who believe that such bold rhetoric and policies have been responsible for our safety these past seven years. But I'm reassured to observe that my principals haven't changed with the packaging.

(4 went over the waterfall | weigh anchor)

Tue-01.20.2009 @ 00:32am

restlist

I can't decide whether I'm listless or restless. I don't feel like doing anything. But I desperately want to be doing things in other places. I just can't write creatively these days with so many other responsibilities taking up real estate in my head, which leaves me feeling vapid like a bit of driftwood - solid but weightless. Mum reminded me that this time last year we were in Tahoe. It was snowing, while we sat inside this rustic wood-beamed restaurant having margaritas. I can't begin to describe how severely my chest aches to be there again. It's been a year since then and two since Fort Bragg, with no travel plans on the horizon for me. Dad and Joel are taking off for the southern continent in less than a month, but my London plans have probably been postponed for yet another long year. Obama will likely be sworn in before I'm conscious tomorrow. It's too hard to wrap my brain around the fact that something I've been waiting eight years for is at hand. I wish I could be somewhere where the momentousness of the occasion would reach me.

(7 went over the waterfall | weigh anchor)

Sat-01.17.2009 @ 02:13am

reaper

I died last night. I was in a field. Bart was there, but on the other side of a fence. My sibs were sitting on a bench and I stood in front of them with a phone to my ear. I could hear the voice of the doctor who was talking to me while he tried to keep me alive. Meanwhile I chatted amiably with the sibs and snapped photos of Bart. Then the voice on the phone stopped mid-sentence, and I reported my suspicion that I was dead. I began to feel like parts of my body were falling asleep in succession, and I told them my thoughts were confirmed. It was as if I were a ghost that was gradually disappearing, since I seemed to be just a projection of myself, but connected to a body that had failed. Barring that, this vessel will be 29 earth years soon.

(9 went over the waterfall | weigh anchor)

Tue-12.16.2008 @ 19:48pm

seriousfully

Excerpts from Whedon's Dr. Horrible review, with my favorite line in bold and my second favorite immediately following that: When Amazon asked me to review this movie, I was hesitant, as I'm not too familiar with the genre, and also I made it. The film itself I didn't really get. Apparently young people today think it's okay to make fun of supervillains. In my day we treated them with respect and fear, especially when they were singing. I did like the jokes, except when one man mentioned his secret love appendage to another, which I find crass. The extras (Eternal life, Europe, Bees) were mostly exciting. ...I give it forty eight billion stars. Full review

(3 went over the waterfall | weigh anchor)

Tue-12.16.2008 @ 15:24pm

the opposite of complacent

These photographs of the Greek riots are amazing. http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/12/2008_greek_riots.html

(4 went over the waterfall | weigh anchor)

Wed-12.10.2008 @ 17:09pm

choice of religion > choice of sexuality

I gotta say that I still can't hate Huckabee. If all people could disagree that cordially it would be a much more sane and livable place. But as much as I'm respectfully apathetic to Huckabee, I sure do love the fuck out of Jon. Props to his staff, too, because I'm sure they helped... but Jon can really deliver a punch when it counts. http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=213344

(4 went over the waterfall | weigh anchor)